Marissa Giammarco & Kyle Sawaia

Follow the adventures of our Diary of a Newport Wedding, featuring an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look into all of the coordination, planning, and excitement leading up to Marissa Giammarco and Kyle Sawaia’s big day!

October 2017

Who we are and how we met

My fiancé, Kyle, and I met in 2007, when we were both performing in Providence bands. My pop/rock band was looking for a new drummer, and one of my bandmates suggested Kyle because his drumming skills were very impressive. Kyle decided to join our band and that was it. We fell in love with each other’s creativity and passion for the arts.

In 2010 Chloe Grace Sawaia was born and our beautiful daughter became our number one priority and the light of our life. Since then, I put down the microphone, picked up a makeup brush, and I became a certified makeup artist for M.A.C. Cosmetics. During my time there I’ve had the opportunity to work on numerous major motion pictures that filmed in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Being a computer science major, Kyle works as a senior programmer for a mental health facility, still plays drums in many bands, and most recently started his own custom music company called Flexotracks, creating music for television and film.

I believe our creativity truly brought us together. We’re parents, business associates and most of all best friends that can’t wait to be husband and wife.

Where I said, “yes!”

Christmas Eve has been my favorite day of the year ever since I can remember. I usually never do, but this particular Christmas Eve, I had to work right up until the festivities began. Anxiously driving home that evening, I had to pick up pies and wrap my head around getting myself and our six-year-old daughter “Christmas party” ready within an hour. As I stumbled up the steps with my pies, Kyle said, “Come and see the tree; Chloe made you a special ornament.” I walked over to the tree in a hurry and started looking around in almost a frustrated way….

November 2017

Choosing our venue

From the moment I stepped foot in Belle Mer I knew it was where I was meant to get married. A venue by the ocean is so serene and comforting and Bell Mer’s clean look is the perfect blank slate for our personal touches. As for the date, we agreed upon May 12, 2018. May in Newport is ideal because it’s not too hot, not too cold, the flowers are starting to bloom and spirits are starting to lift after the long winter months.

@carolyndempseydesign

Picking a photographer

For us, picking a photographer was a simple task. We knew right off the bat Mel Colvin was the way to go considering she shot many of our friends weddings and we have always been impressed by her beautiful work. She did a stunning job with our engagement photos and I’m looking forward to meeting with her to come up with ideas for our big day!

December 2017

Save The Date

Thanks to Park Printers, our Save the Dates came out absolutely amazing. Its a family owned shop run by Kyle’s father, Peter Sawaia, and uncle, Mark Sawaia, in Pawtucket, RI. I simply described my vision and they ran with it! I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. We sent them out mid-November, six months ahead of our big day. I felt that was enough time in advance without it being “too soon.”

Flowers

We heard from friends and relatives that Golden Gate Studios was the way to go for floral arrangements, and after seeing that they dress Belle Mer quite often, we decided to have a meeting. Before we went, Kyle and I knew literally nothing about flowers. What I did know is that I wanted lanterns, lanterns and more lanterns.

January 2018

The clock is really ticking now and we’re starting to feel it!

Tasting

Joining Kyle and I for the tasting were my mom, Dianne, stepmother, Johanne and my dad, Frank. To begin, we sat at the table and went through the sequence of events with our Belle Mer planner, Ashly, before delving into the samples we picked out a few weeks prior.

As soon as they brought out the hors d’oeurves selection, we knew it was going to be good. Every single thing we chose to try was phenomenal. We went with crab crusted local cod and grilled filet mignon for the entree, and they did not disappoint! We tried four different cake flavors and ended up going with the “Lemon Love” cake. It’s light and fluffy, ideal after a decadent meal. We were stuffed to the brim by the end.

DJ

We recently met with DJ Kenny Ferrara. Kenny owns Elite Entertainment, RI and is a favorite to many wedding couples both past and present. He’s providing us with beautiful up lighting that will add to Belle Mer’s beauty and elegance during the reception.

What I love about Kenny is he really gets my “vibe.” I want certain styles of music played for the ceremony and cocktail hour, as well as many surprises throughout the night. I know he’s on it!

Small Details

Etsy has been my best friend lately. Many of my ideas for favors and the guest book came from there and they also have every other small decoration you could think of; Mr. and Mrs. signs, labels, cake toppers, etc. It’s a great place to piece together the little details.

A Reminder

After that ball dropped at midnight on New Years Eve, things definitely got real. I’m starting to feel the pressure knowing that our wedding is happening this year. Even though we booked our vendors and came up with most of our ideas early on, there’s so much more that needs to be done.

I’ll admit this month I definitely had my first few “Bridezilla” moments. But at the end of the day, that’s absolutely normal and it happens to everyone. The important thing to do is just breathe, and ask yourself, would you want to change anything? Most likely the answer will be no. You’re planning a wedding that entails everything you’ve ever dreamed of, it’s no wonder there are so many important details.

Over the winter break, I got to spend some quality time with my family. From going on dinner dates with my fiancé, to rollerskating and having mani/pedi days with my daughter, I realize those are the moments I cherish and the real meaning of why we’re getting married. Next time I have a “moment,” I’ll remember that.